Society News

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocks California's scenic Napa Valley wine country, the strongest to hit the region in a quarter of a century, seriously injuring three and jolting thousands from their sleep. Duration: 00:46Aug 26, 2014

Kawardha, Aug 26 (ANI): Devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba and followers of revered Hindu cleric Shankaracharya Swaroopananda Saraswati clashed during 'dharma sansad' (Religious Parliament) in Kawardha city of Chhattisgarh. The scuffle broke out when two Sai devotees, who had come to express their views on Sai Baba debate, questioned Shankaracharya which upset his disciples. Later, Shankarachrya intervened to pacify them and the police had to deploy extra force to prevent any untoward incident. Another Hindu Cleric, Narendra Giri, threatened to dismantle Sai statutes. Around 400 religious leaders have assembled to discuss whether the status of 'Saint' to be given to Shirdi Sai Baba or not.Aug 26, 2014

Jammu and Kashmir, Aug 26 (ANI): At least three soldiers and five militants were killed in two separate encounters that have been going on intermittently since Saturday in Kupwara district of Kashmir. In a fresh ongoing encounter in Kalaroos area of Kupwara district on Tuesday, one jawan lost his life. A DGMO level talks between India and Pakistan is to take place today where Indian Army is likely to raise the issue of ceasefire violations to their Pakistani counterparts. Meanwhile, continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the international border drew ire of villagers, who have to run in the midnight to save their lives. People living along the de-facto border have been under constant threat of the firing. Many villages at the border have been abandoned.Aug 26, 2014

New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): Congress leader Mukesh Sharma alleged that a few of the Aam Aadmi Party leaders are in contact with Congress leaders fearing their defeat. He said that AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal is losing his stand everywhere and therefore his party workers are looking for an option to come up in the polls. Sharma also said that the by polls result on Monday suggest that AAP and BJP are losing their cards on the whole.Aug 26, 2014

City authorities in Napa, California gave an update on the damage inflicted by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake which hit the area on Sunday, saying just one person remains in a critical condition. Duration: 00:57Aug 26, 2014

Bhopal, Aug 26 (ANI): Police on Tuesday registered FIRs against the three students and two staffers of the Scindia School of Gwalior in connection with the suicide attempt made by Adarsh Singh. The FIRs were registered against the minor boys, resident tutor, Arpan Soni and House master Parampreet Grewal in connection with the case. Three students were later expelled from the school. On Wednesday, the 14-year-old son of a Bihar minister was admitted to a Delhi hospital from Gwalior, accompanied by the school's principal, Samik Ghosh. State Education Minister Deepak Joshi said that the administration is trying to put a full stop on such incidents and that the guilty will be punished.Aug 26, 2014

New Delhi, August 26 (ANI): Rani Mukerji's latest offering, 'Mardaani', seems to have appealed to movie buffs as it has raked in approximately Rs.15 crore in just three days. The first weekend collection of the Yash Raj Films' production venture is Rs 14.46 crore, read a statement. The film also got thumbs up from many Bollywood celebrities. 'Mardaani', which means manly, revolves around a senior police inspector, played by Rani, who unearths human trafficking racket.Aug 26, 2014

Bulandshahr, Aug 26 (ANI): The last rites of Army soldier Rahul Kumar of 23 Grenadier Battalion, martyred in militant encounter of Kupwara were performed in his native village of Bulandshahr on Tuesday. His family members and scores of local residents lined up to pay their respects to the martyr. Meanwhile, dead body of Corporal Neeraj Kumar Singh was also brought to his native village in Bulandshahr. Rahul Kumar and Neeraj Sharma were killed after a militant group attacked a patrol party along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday night.Aug 26, 2014

New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): Muzaffarnagar riots accused Sangeet Som has been granted Z-plus security following an intelligence input about a threat to his life. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decided to grant the security status to BJP MLA Som. The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to raise Som's security cover following intelligence reports of threat to his life. CRPF personnel will provide him security only within the borders of Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Political parties have criticized the move.Aug 26, 2014

Mumbai, Aug 26 (ANI): Nariman House, a Jewish community centre which was one of the targets during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008 along with the Taj Mahal hotel and other famous Mumbai landmarks, is gearing up to open once again on Tuesday, nearly six years after the deadly attack when it was forced to shut down. Formally known as the Chabad House, the five-storey building will be reopened on Tuesday (August 26). Several people were held hostage for three days before the National Security Guards (NSG) commandos killed the militants in the siege as they undertook 'Operation Black Tornado.' Six of the occupants of Nariman House or Chabad House including Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were killed when terrorists attacked the building.Aug 26, 2014

Hanoi, Aug 26 (ANI): Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang and discussed various issues to boost the relationship between both the nations. Swaraj, who is on a three-day visit to the country, met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. In an interview with Indian media in Hanoi on August 24, Swaraj said that it was time to replace India's "Look East policy", that aims to link the country's northeast with South East Asia, with an "Act East Policy." Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said both the leaders discussed on enhancing bilateral trade. Swaraj also met Vietnam's Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung. The two countries co-operate in defence, security, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. During her visit, Swaraj is also expected to chair the third round-table of the ASEAN-India Network of think tanks.Aug 26, 2014